Privacy policy

Who we are

Lendrly operates duesmith.com as an educational guide to UK SME finance. We are the data controller for personal data processed through the site.

Data controller contact
Email: hello@duesmith.com
For subject access requests (SARs), data deletion requests or other rights requests, email the address above with the subject line "Data request" and we will respond within one month as required by UK GDPR. A postal correspondence address is available on request.

We are a small operator and are not required to appoint a Data Protection Officer under Article 37 UK GDPR.

Data we collect

We collect only what we need to run the site and the eligibility checker:

• Eligibility checker inputs. Information you enter about your business, such as trading history, turnover band, funding amount, funding purpose, sector and security availability. This data is used to generate your eligibility guidance.
• Contact details. If you choose to receive your results by email or get in touch with us, we collect your name and email address.
• Technical data. IP address, device type, browser, referrer and pages viewed. This is collected through standard server logs and analytics tools for security and product-improvement purposes.
• Communications. Any messages you send us, including the contents of emails and chat-widget interactions.

We do not knowingly collect special category data (for example health or political opinion data). Please do not include this information in eligibility-checker free text or in messages to us.

Lawful basis for processing

• Legitimate interests. Running and improving the website, preventing abuse, and producing aggregated analytics that do not identify individual users.
• Consent. Non-essential cookies and marketing communications are set or sent only with your consent, which you can withdraw at any time.
• Contract / pre-contract steps. When you submit the eligibility checker or contact us, we process your data to respond to your request.
• Legal obligation. Where the law requires us to retain or disclose information.

How we use your data

• To generate eligibility guidance based on the information you provide.
• To respond to questions, corrections and feedback.
• To monitor site performance, prevent abuse and improve content.
• To send you transactional emails you have requested, such as your results.

We do not sell personal data. We do not pass your eligibility-checker answers to lenders without your explicit instruction.

Cookies and similar technologies

We use a small number of strictly necessary cookies and storage items so the site works correctly. We also use privacy-respecting analytics (such as Google Analytics and PostHog) to understand aggregated traffic patterns. You can control or block cookies at any time through your browser settings; blocking optional cookies will not break the educational content. If a cookie consent banner is presented on the site, your stored preferences will override our defaults.

Sharing your data

We share personal data only with service providers that help us operate the site — for example, hosting, email delivery and analytics platforms. These providers process data on our instructions and under written contracts. Where data is transferred outside the UK, we rely on UK adequacy decisions, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or standard contractual clauses, as appropriate.

Retention

We keep eligibility-checker responses for as long as needed to provide the result and for a reasonable period afterwards to support questions about your output, unless you ask us to delete the record sooner. Contact emails are retained while we handle your query and for a short period afterwards. Aggregated, non-identifying analytics may be kept indefinitely.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Ask us to correct inaccurate data.
• Ask us to erase your data, where applicable.
• Restrict or object to our processing in certain circumstances.
• Request a portable copy of data you have provided to us.
• Withdraw any consent you have given us, at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, email hello@duesmith.com. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

Security

We use industry-standard technical and organisational measures to protect personal data, including transport encryption, access controls and logging. No internet service is completely secure; please do not send sensitive information by email if you can avoid it.

Children

The site is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The "last updated" date at the top of this page will change when we do. Significant changes will be flagged on the site.

Contact

For privacy questions, contact hello@duesmith.com.

We are not currently authorised by the FCA.